To be a Silent Protagonist
by Gyyrro
Summary: The story explained from the protagonist's point of view, shedding light on exactly why he never talks throughout the course of the game. Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, my first real story! Sorry for the amateurishness of it all; I'll try to get better and update somewhat regularly with longer chapters. Anything I'm doing wrong feel free to tell me!**

I sat in the second middle row of desks, the dry and snide Mokka to my right, loudmouth and class clown Pico to my left. The day had started like any other; the group had formed a circle around me and talked before class had started. Miss Madeleine was yet again late, though I couldn't say that I minded.

Pico had turned his attention to me, "Hey Amund! Where's Miss Madeleine? Class shoulda started by now... do you think something's happened to her?"

I lifted my head from the desk, preparing an answer.

"Calm down, she's just late." Sorbet broke in, "It happens all the time. She's probably just finishing up her lesson plan, anyway. It's nothing to get so worked up about."

I lay my head back onto the desk, awaiting the chatter to end. By this time Chai had found it appropriate to comment, as he disliked starting conversations as opposed to participating in them.

"What is this? The 30th time this year? When is she going to get a tardy slip? That's what I wanna know."

"I see her!" called Lassi from the door. "She's coming, quick! Everyone get back in your seats!"

The entirety of the class raced back to their individual desks, Lassi just barely hopping into her seat as Madeleine barreled through the door. She made her introduction.

"Good morning apprentices! I trust you were all studying your spellbooks as you were waiting for me?"

Mokka rose part way from his desk, "Miss Madeleine! You do know that you are once again late to your very own class. Not very professional for someone in your position."

They continued on with their questioning as Miss Madeline continued on with her dodging, at this time my mind began to wander; her uppity voice had always irked me, so I usually tuned it out. Chai on the other hand, I couldn't stand. His tail would flick and twist around throughout class, becoming the beacon of attention for me. It was far too distracting, I would cut the thing off if I was sure his species couldn't grow one back. My eyes followed the imaginary lines it drew as I continually tapped a finger on the wood of my desk, just waiting for the motivation to send a dazzle dart through his skull.

It wasn't long before class had ended, or at least it seemed that way as I was far too absorbed in plotting against the amphibian's appendage. I left class to see Lassi and Mokka huddled next to the principal's door, Lassi's ear pressed firmly to the wood of it. In curiosity, I joined them.

The two stayed in silence as the rest of the gang formed a ring around them, at last Lassi broke the quiet.

"Hmm... wonder what they're talking about..." She pressed herself even more closely to the door, listening with all of their might. After some short seconds, she clasped a paw to the door's handle and rushed inside, the rest of the class following along with her. I followed.

I hadn't caught word of what they had said, but apparently there was some fuss as to Miss Madeleine leaving. Calmly, she shooed them off with reassuring words and sent us on our way.

Later that day, Madeleine had ordered us to attend the meditation room. The team had made the huddle they so commonly formed, theorizing what they had done to deserve it, and what it was they deserved.

"You know what I think? I think it was something that Pico did!" Lassi exclaimed, pointing a furred index finger at her suspect.

"Wha- me!? You can't prove anything!" Pico raised his arms to the air, " I mean, I didn't do anything!"

Mokka averted his attention from the now exuberant Pico to me, shifting his large, featureless lense of an eye to mine. "Amund, won't you ask Miss Madeline what the meaning of this is?"

"Yes, Amund, ask her." said Sorbet, now looking at me with the same expectant gaze that Mokka had. Without a word, I made my way to the teacher as she sat looking silently out to the window that made the wall of the room, gazing at the trees and river that lay behind the academy.

Eventually, she turned around without a sound made by me.

"Oh, Amund, how long have you been standing there?"

I shrugged.

"Oh, well, I see that you are all here!" She looked to the rest of the class, who had now moved up to where I had been standing. She continued.

"The universe can be a very dodgy place, today I will be teaching you all how to defend yourselves. This lesson isn't just about your standard spellcasting, so listen well. What I am teaching you all today is designed for extreme circumstances."

"Teaching us to defend ourselves? Does this mean that we'll be accompanying you to planet Puffoon?" asked Lassi.

"Well, no. I'm going to the wind planet alone, children." replied Madeline.

She straightened, and turned to me.

"Now then, Amund! Step forward, please."

I walked my way to the center of the meditation room as a small Magic Doll waddled it's way to the opposing side.

"Alright, basics first!" she said, " I want you to kick the dummy as hard as you can!"

I made a running start, hooking the poor doll's wooden chin with my right foot and sent him sprawling to the ground.

"Very good!" she called, "Now, let's try our hand at some magic!"

I gazed down at the doll as he stared up blankly at me, waiting for his next hit. My fingers twitched as if I was stringing a puppet, a dark cube began to form as I raised my arms. The cube swirled with more and more momentum as I tightened my fists. Twinges of pain shot through my limbs and spine, reaching into the deepest realms of my skull. I bit at my cheek as to avoid falling to the floor, I now could feel an uncomfortable twisting in my gut as well as a weak wobbling in my legs. Hopefully the others hadn't noticed.

I let down the Shadow Die with a large burst of energy, slamming onto the dummy and imploding as it encapsulated him. Once again it fell to the floor, now far more limp. It bounced once as it made impact, it's head being the last to make content with the hardwood flooring. It lay spread out on the ground as if I had truly killed it, the blank expression taking on a whole new feeling to me as I once again looked down at him, his body now lacking in animation.

The tutorial was long and monotonous, soon the entire class had come up to participate. I kept the pain to myself as I always did, relieved when it was finally over.

After practice, she handed us all an encyclopedia and dismissed us. The next day, she had departed to Puffoon without a word. Lassi had approached me afterwards, asking me if I was alright, and that I seemed stressed during yesterday's lesson. I shrugged her off and returned to my dorm, eventually falling asleep in the darkest hours of the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry I took so long, I've just been very busy and all that. I know it isn't an excuse, I'll try herder to get it out in good time from now on. The chapter is short, but mostly just because the next few are going to be considerably more lengthy.**

Almost three months had passed since Miss Madeleine left the academy; our replacement teacher, Professor Pistachio, was beginning to take a pinch at my nerves. Unlike Madeleine who would lecture with her supportive song and dance, Pistachio was quick on the draw. I haven't managed a week without at least one detention, and only just escaped his clutches by the end of class.

It was lunch period, I had just finished a jar of Melon Jelly and was on my way to the Necromancy Lab bag in hand as I saw it. It was the Magic Doll- the dummy I had damaged at the molecular level not three months ago. He was waddling in the direction of the meditation room as he passed me, his head sheened with polish and repair, his eyes never once veering in my direction.

It was then that curiosity sparked inside me; what does a dummy feel? Are they all just lifeless shells looking for a beating, or are they more than that? If I ask him nicely enough, will he tell me? With the thought heavy on my mind, I decided to show a bit of spontaneity in hopes of peaking his attention.

With that, I sneaked my way behind him, lifted my arm and promptly smacked him to the ground with a stiff thud.

As he once again began to stir, I couldn't help but dawn a mischievous grin. Was he going to hit me back, or tell me off? Would he have the gall to report me?

The dummy lifted itself up from the ground, dusted itself off, and proceeded on it's way. All without even the courtesy to turn around and meet his assailant.

Now I was a little angry. Walking away from me, just like that! I'll be damned if a glorified punching bag thought that he was above me. Without hesitation, I gained on him from the hallway, throwing all the weight I had into a well-executed punch on the back on the head. Once again he toppled, now with much more force. At the speed I was going I actually fell on top of him.

I stood. After the moment passed I had come to notice that a few of the kids in the hallway were looking at me; I'd almost forgot that I was in public in the heat of it all. I looked back down to the dummy, his shining dome now scuffed from another beating. Feeling triumphant, I crossed my arms and waited. Once again, he brought himself to his knees and was off without a word.  
I gave up. I had already drawn enough attention to myself as it is, so I figured that I'd just return to class and leave him be.

They always did a fine job of refrigerating the students in the Necromancy Lab. Sure the headless catheter needed to stay below maggot temperature, but surely there was some spell capable of keeping the smell minty fresh instead.

I fiddled with my scalpel as the snorting of Pico prodded my patience; he had stuck a bone into one of his nostrils and began to make ape noises. Surely apes were qualified for dissection along with the occasional Rairbit, possibly an amphibian or two. Lassi gave an unentertained clearing of the throat as Pico rose the holding pan over his head.

I nearly gave myself an early autopsie when Sorbet tapped my shoulder, "Need any help, Amund?"

It was just like her to underestimate someone's abilities; I shook my head.

"Oh, alright." she replied, smiling with her big goody grin. She turned back to her own desk with Mokka, who was the only student cleared for the use of power tools, and gladly abused the privilege at every chance he had. "You should talk more, it makes you appear more respectable." she added just before Mokka had begun his electricity-powered saw tirade upon the poor sinew of a once strayed Otter.

_ "Wipe my nose while you're at it..."_ I whispered under my breath, returning to my own lawful mutilations.

Necromancy really ended with a bang that day, well, more like a pop; it's a sorcery joke- you'd have to be there. Anyway, it was straight to the chemical wash for me, and Ogura isn't going to be happy when he sees the rest of him.

As I bumbled my way out of the searing sauna, I smiled with realization as a wonderful aroma hit my now clear nostrils. I let out a dry chuckle, "It smells like hamburgers in here."

I clothed myself and left the lab around thirty-plus minutes later than everyone else; upon leaving I had found Lassi to be waiting at the door.

"Sorry, I'd only kept my eyes off of Pico for a second-"

I waved in acceptance to her apology and puppeted that of a weak smile, she misread this as a sign to follow me back to the dorms. I didn't protest.

There was an awkward silence between us as we walked; I had no intention of striking up a conversation, and she was too busy avoiding eye contact. We made our way to the right wing of the school by cutting through the five o'clock children rush, dodging the occasional first year every so often.

"She's right, you know." Lassi broke the silence, "Sorbet is- we really would like it if you talked to us more."

_"Us, or you?"_ I thought to myself.

"I mean, it's fine to talk to us- we're your friends!" she looked to me expecting an answer as we neared my room.

Without a word I opened my door, "Can I come in?" Lassi asked just as I slammed the door shut, "...See you tomorrow." came muffled through the door.

As night came I could feel my aura return, making me somewhat of a human flashlight. Once again I wasn't wobbling in the knees; I could finally focus.


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, so I'm sorry for the delay. I'm trying to make this interesting, and I've stopped and started this chapter like three times, the last few being longer but not as good. The chapters are going to be more episodic but that will help me bring them about in a faster speed, that's not to say some chapters won't be long. Luckily it's summer now so I have time to actually do this. If you have any gripes with the story I'd like to hear it, I'm only trying to get better at this and I'm still a beginner.**

Waking up I felt like what I assumed a being a corpse was like, there was dirt in my mouth and a dull pain in the back of my head. I have no idea why I'm here but I have no intention to move, I feel like if I try, I won't. Perhaps I'm paralyzed.

I look at my fingers through the sand and try to remember how I got here, Lassi was reminding me of how to pronounce her name, Lah-si, this is all I have. When I remember this I see my finger twitch. Soon enough I'm standing and well.

I shake off the earth plastered to my body, putting my legs out and stretching my arms. Looking around I can see a shadow through the hard winds, large and hard to distinguish. Behind me there's a mass of metal bent and twisted out of shape, a once-was cone.

I take my first step and it hurts a little, soon as I keep walking it fades some. The wind buffets me as I walk so I put my turban over me.

When I get closer to the shadow I can tell that it's the same thing I woke up by, with an outstretched hand I walk closer until I touch it, cold. There's something by it that looks like a rag, a puff of fur, walking towards it I recognize it as Lassi.

"Kovo water," she whispers in my ear when I try to roll her over. For I second I almost forget what that means, I look back at the mass just steps behind me, there's a door. I fumble around in the cockpit of the vehicle and I find what she was looking for, I bring it to her and give her small sips.

She stands and shakes herself off, "Oh, I feel better." she says.

Looking around I can see her gauging this new reality, we're in a desert somewhere. "Wha, huh? Where are we? I remember Kovomaka getting smaller and smaller, riding in the blackness, that's all I remember. What happened?"

I shrug, as if I know.

"Well, at least we're in this weirdness together, Amund."

Later on we're confronted by what looks like a scorpion, Lassi lets some of her magic go and the thing looks a bit stunned, I run towards it and I throw a die on it, encapsulating one of it's pincers. I make a fist and the block of darkness explodes, leaving the claw yet to be found, a stub on the creature's limb. It makes a guttural screech and I start to feel the prick of needles come into my skin from every direction, I can't keep this up.

From the sky it's stinger comes down on me and I put a die in between myself and it, I hold the die to keep him from skewering me and more pain shoots up my arms now struggling to keep hold. I look over to Lassi whose conjuring up a wind spell, I can feel it's energy from here. Without thinking I breath in with my nose and I feel a heat come through my body, her wind pittles out but my die bursts with a loud crashing noise and the entire tail of the beast is gone, a single joint of the tail remaining in tatters.

There's a new energy inside of me, I can feel it. I bring my hand to it's face and a Dazzle Dart comes out, hollowing him out from front to end, I can feel my strength once again lose and I go to my knees.

"Amund, I didn't know you mastered any level six spells!" Lassi says, running to me. I feel like telling her I always knew, I just never could. I don't know why it's only worked just now, suddenly, it just did. I don't feel the needles like I used to.

"Amund, you see that?" I look to where she's pointing and there's a lab, a fortress maybe. A hulking metal building in front of us.

"Wanna go?"


End file.
